Innovative partnership a win for property buyers

9 November 2012

Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) and the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) today announced a ground-breaking partnership to help property buyers and agents through education about current and future flight paths over Brisbane.

The partnership, which is believed to be the first of its kind in Australia, is the result of both organisations desire to prevent buyers making an investment without fully understanding if that property may be subject to aircraft noise.

Through this partnership BAC and the REIQ will collaborate to promote online tools that outline current flights paths and noise levels, in addition to future flight paths and areas of higher aircraft noise.

Julieanne Alroe, BAC CEO and Managing Director, said the partnership between Brisbane Airport and REIQ was a perfect match that would provide great benefits for Queensland.

“It’s no secret that buying a property for residential or investment purposes is one of the most intensive and stressful things a person can do.

The last thing we want to see is someone going through that process, only to find that they are not aware of a current or future flight path. These are long term decisions and we want people to feel as informed and empowered as possible.

“REIQ is an excellent partner and we were delighted they welcomed our invitation to form a partnership.

With the REIQ’s property website, reiq.com, going from strength to strength and the Institute being a leader in Queensland, we were impressed by both their reach and their focus on educating the industry.

“We have worked very hard with Air Services Australia to find ways to demonstrate current and predicted aircraft noise levels in Brisbane suburbs and REIQ will help us educate people when it matters most,” Ms Alroe said.

REIQ CEO Anton Kardash said the partnership was another example of the REIQ working to better educate consumers.

“BAC and the REIQ are both iconic Brisbane-based organisations so it made sense for us to partner with them when the opportunity arose,” he said.

“As well as being the peak body for real estate agents in Queensland, the REIQ also trains thousands of agents every year so we have long been committed to education. Indeed, the REIQ celebrates its 95th anniversary next year.

“Information about flight paths will be available on reiq.com, which features nearly 100,000 property listings from REIQ accredited agencies only, which provides peace of mind to buyers during the search for their next home or investment.”

Through its public forums and via the Brisbane Airport Community Aviation Consultation Group (BACACG), BAC has received feedback from some Brisbane residents who were unaware of regular aircraft noise before they purchased property.

Major General (Retd) Peter Arnison, Independent Chairman of the BACACG said, “The BACACG is focused on identifying and taking advantage of opportunities to better educate, inform and empower the community.

When we hear of an issue arising we pool our collective thoughts and resources to implement a solution.

In this case, we see this partnership as a significant step forward and we would hope it forms a precedent for similar partnerships in Australia and beyond,” he said.

Boasting the largest buffer zone of the major Australian Airports, Brisbane Airport benefits from years of good planning that puts considerable distance between the runways and the nearest residents.

However, there always will be some suburbs that are affected more than others and there are some excellent tools available to demonstrate current noise levels and where future flights paths are likely to go.

The two main tools available today are web-based and can be used without any knowledge of aviation.

Webtrak by Airservices Australia

Airservices Australia is the Federal Government agency that runs air traffic control and airspace design and management, including flight paths.

Webtrak allows the public to find information about arriving and departing aircraft over suburbs within 55 km of Brisbane Airport by:

locating a street address on the map;

viewing information about any flight, including aircraft type, altitude, origin and destination;

and detailing an aircraft’s flight path and point of closest approach to a residence.

Webtrak is located at www.airservicesaustralia.com/aircraftnoise/webtrak

Flight Path Information Software by Brisbane Airport

The Flight created by BAC, provides comprehensive information about current and future flight paths into and out of the airport. The site also details the expected number of flights into and out of Brisbane during typical busy days, evenings and nights.

This Flight Path Information is available at www.bne.com.au/corporate/flight-paths/experience-centre